Musicology Resources and Scientific Research Stages

National and International Music Repertoires

National Repertoire in Spain

In Spain, the National Library joined the Hispanic Bibliographic Institute in 1987. This institute has included musical material since 1985-86, as musical documents did not appear in Spanish literature records since 1968. Important musicological journals include Acta Musicologica and Fontes Artis Musicae.

International Music Directories

• RILM: International Directory of Musical Literature. Founded in the USA in 1967, it covers music and musicology with over 400,000 records including journal articles, books, theses, reports, electronic resources, and scores.
• RISM: International Directory of Musical Sources. Founded in Paris in 1952. Of the four music sources, we currently have internet access to sources from 1600 onwards. Its objective is to document the world of musical sources, including manuscripts and printed music.
• RIDIM: International Directory of Musical Iconography. This international project was founded in 1971. The aim is to develop methods, media, and research centers for sorting, cataloging, and studying iconographic materials relating to music. It is designed to assist artists, historians, and librarians.
• RIPM: International Press Directory of Music. It was created to provide access to periodical literature dealing with music during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

The Research Project and Scientific Method

Key Objectives and Characteristics

• Objectives: To define the environmental context under study, specify the object of study, and delimit the research problem and intervening issues.
• Congruence: There must be a logical sequence among the constituent elements. The title should reflect the study variables: the problem, objectives, assumptions, and selected techniques and analysis methods.
• Theoretical Foundation: The plan must include theories relating to the subject of an exhaustive study.
• Flexibility: It should allow for changes or adjustments without disrupting the original design.
• Scientific Language: Use of precise terminology.

Stages of the Scientific Method

1. Election and statement of the problem: This motivates the investigation, whether theoretical, practical, or both.
2. Structuring a theoretical framework: The internal and external validity of an investigation is shown in its supporting theories, allowing results to be generalized. This framework considers:
   • Explicit and implicit concepts of the problem.
   • Specific operational conceptualization.
   • Relationships between theories and concepts.
   • Theoretical analysis leading to the hypothesis.
   • Implications of the theory for the problem.
3. Establishment of hypotheses: Constructed with three elements: the unit of analysis (object of study), variables (properties of the units), and the logical relationship linking objects with their properties.
4. Testing Hypotheses: The steps include:
   1. Selecting the technique.
   2. Information collection (Documentary or Field techniques).
5. Results and Proposals: Finalizing the study based on findings and proposals.